Why Tri????

Lamon has done a few races in his time. Okay, Lamon has done A LOT of races in his time. He has done two marathons, plenty of 5ks and 10ks, sprint triathlons, olympic triathlons, 100 mile bike races, and most recently he did the Utah Half Ironman. That is a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run back to back. Does he do it to win? No. There are a few people who wonder WHY????? Why put your body through something like that? Well, here are some great reasons WHY to TRI.

#1 You look tough and extremely hot with a bib number on your shirt and a medal around your neck!(Okay, so I came up with that one on my own . . . but you have to admit that Lamon does look pretty darn good)

#2 There will never be a need to buy a cup again because at every race you do you receive a water bottle like this one! And if you don't get a cool water bottle, you at least get a cool sticker to put on another bottle that you already own. We have a whole cupboard just for our water bottles!

#3 When I asked Lamon why he does Triathlons he told me that he does them purely for the chance to eat and drink yummy things like Gu, and Heed.   He was of course being completely sarcastic. I for one think that if I was starving and was given nothing but Gu to survive . . . it would be a hard decision on whether or not to partake. I hate that stuff!! Before this race his awesome co-worker introduced him to something called Stinger waffles, and they really are quite tasty. So there you go. If you do a Triathlon you can experience all sorts of varieties of Nutrition. Mmmmmn . . .

 

#4 One of the best reasons to participate in races I think . . . is for the wardrobe. We haven't had to go to the department store to buy Lamon clothes . . . for who knows how long. How economic! People think that we are throwing too much money into these races, but honestly . . .  it's just part of our budgeting strategy. A new shirt every race!

So those are some amazing reasons why to do a race. But I guess I had better give you the real reason why Lamon puts his body through this. . . 

There is something incredibly satisfying about testing your body physically. There aren't many things comparable to training hard  for something and then accomplishing the goal that you set for yourself. Lamon was working out with a friend one day and his friend said, "You know, it's amazing how your body will do what you tell it to and train it to do . . .  No more . . . no less." And it's totally true. You don't just say, "Hey . . . today I think I will do a half ironman." It doesn't work that way. Lamon woke up early almost every day to train. He dedicated many hours a week including long workouts on Saturday. The neat thing was that he did the majority of his training while the kids were still sleeping. Some mornings he was up before 4:00 am. He was disciplined and he made it happen, and I feel like I was blessed to watch him. He is an inspiration to me. I think that not only is it amazing for him to experience the racing process, but he blesses us as well. I think there is great merit in showing your children what it means to work hard at something. The kids and I got to watch Daddy do something really hard, and hopefully the children can learn from their Dad how to do hard things. That is a real reason to do a Triathlon! And what do you know . . . Drew is excited to be doing his first race this week . . . How cool.

I had so much fun watching Lamon during the Utah Half. He is amazing! He finished the race in like 5 and a half hours which was about an hour and 20 minutes faster than he thought he would. And the cool thing about that was that he was one of the few guys out there on a regular road bike. I can't wait for the day we can afford to get him a tri bike! Then he really will be cruising. Lamon . . . I love you. You are such a great role model for our boys . . . and for me for that matter! :) You're awesome. Here are some pics and some videos from the race. Enjoy.

Lamon hurt his foot right before the race. It was bleeding and was hurting . . . and he still rocked it!